Cherry Popsicle
by saosire
Summary: "Gou, you remind me of a flame angelfish." "I remind you of a.. fish!"


A strong, tangy taste of cherry exploded in Gou's mouth as she mindlessly licked her popsicle. It was another Monday afternoon, and she stopped by an ice cream truck to buy something cold before she went to supervise swim practice. The summer sun was quickly melting her popsicle in her hand, and she struggled to keep the sugary mess from trickling down her arm.

"Ugh! It's no use." She groaned as red slush fell on her shirt, staining it. _It's so hot outside today... Maybe the boys will let me swim with them!_ This thought perked up her sludgy mood. A little dip in the pool will help her feel so much more refreshed.

When she arrived at the pool, Haru and Makoto were already warming up and stretching. "I-Is it okay if I swim with you for a small bit of practice?", she asked hesitantly. Makoto replied with that calming, sweet smile. "Of course. We don't mind, right, Haru?" Haru raised his ocean blue eyes to meet hers. "No, it's fine", He responded. For some reason, Gou started to flush again. _Must be the heat_...

She scampered to the girl's locker room and slipped into her swimsuit. She had recently bought a racing suit with a low back for when she wanted to practice with the team. The solid black suit with yellow lines made her dark red hair glow. She grabbed her towel and goggles, then skipped out to the pool, ready to swim.

Gou swam in a separate lane from the boys, not confining to any particular workout. She just dived to the bottom of the pool and pushed off, pretending she was a dolphin. Once she grew tired of this, she floated to the top and lazily drifted along in her lane, feeling the water splash over her.

Eventually, she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. Gou groaned and opened her eyes. The ocean was staring back at her. With a small yelp and splashed out of her relaxing drift. _Oh, it's just Haru,_ Gou realized, red creeping into her cheeks. Haru just sighed. "Practice is over, Gou." Gou looked at him, startled. _Already?! But it feels like I just got here._ With a small laugh, she grabbed Haru's hands. "It went by so fast! The water feels so good today, doesn't it, Haru?" Haru's expression barely changed. "Yes. I love to swim, especially after a long day at school." Gou realized she was still holding Haru's hands. With a jolt, she let go and floated a ways down the pool. _Why am I acting so nervous?_ She cleared her throat and spoke again. "It was so hot today, I just wanted to swim! Well, I should be going home now." With a nervous chuckle she swam to the ladder and began to climb up.

She hadn't anticipated the metal to be so hot in the sun, and with a small yell she let go quickly. Falling backwards, Gou scrambled for something to hold on to. "Ahhh!" she yelled. With a large THUMP, she landed in Haru's outstretched arms. Haru's strong arms were wrapped around her as if she was a small child. Gou's face immediately turned a deep red. "T-Thanks, Haru, but it's ok I would have just fallen in the water..." She realized with a start that Haru was still holding, and studying her face with his deep blue eyes. Finally he spoke. "You remind me of a flame angelfish." Gou's nose wrinkled. "A fish?!" Haru nodded softly. _Was that supposed to be a compliment? _ Haru spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. "Gou... you're.. very beautiful.." _Is he saying all this because I remind him of a fish?_ Gou sat up in Haru's arms, slightly struggling to get free. However, Haru's arms were wet and she slipped closer to him, their faces inches apart. _Ahhh..ughhh._ Gou tried to form an intelligent sound but she was hypnotized by his eyes. _Are eyes supposed to be that blue... _Haru leaned closer, and Gou mimicked his movements. Closer... closer... he began to tilt his head, moving even closer... then his lips brushed Gou's softly, hesitantly. Gou slowly closed her eyes, and pushed her lips onto his, inviting him to kiss her deeper. Haru wasted no time. He let go of her and instead wrapped his fingers into her hair, breathing shallowly. He kissed her passionately, their lips slipping off of each other, still damp from the pool. Gou's heart beat rapidly as Haru overtook her lips. She nearly opened her eyes in surprise as Haru's tongue glazed over her lips. _I've never seen this side of Haru-_ Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. There was no one kissing her anymore. Haru had pulled away and was gazing at her again. Gou stared back evenly, her face flushed with excitement. He leaned closer again- her breathing suddenly began to shorten- and kissed her once last time, softly. "You taste like cherries." Haru said suddenly, swimming backward and away. "Uhh- Yeah! I had a popsicle before practice." Gou responded shakily. There was no response. Haru had left.

_Typical._ Gou thought angrily. _He better no act like this never happened!_ Gou sighed and began the long walk home.

*beep beep* her phone chirped.

The screen read: Seijuro 3

_Shoot. Seijuro. I've been crushing on him for 2 months. Now what?_ Gou thought of how Haru had kissed her back at the pool. She squirmed with embarrassment. _He's not interested; He's probably just bored, right? He doesn't really like me. _Something deep inside her denied it, but she just pushed the feeling down and continued her lonely walk home, stopping for another popsicle in the humid evening.


End file.
